1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to automotive accessories, and more particularly, to a protective, thermal insulating pad for lining an automobile door handle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is generally well known that the metal exterior of an automotive vehicle becomes extremely hot when the vehicle is left out in intense sunlight for long periods of time. In particular, the heat build-up in the metal door handles of the vehicle can become great enough to burn the fingertips of an individual attempting to enter the vehicle. Similarly, in cold climates, the door handles become extremely frigid and produce a chill when touched.
To the best of my knowledge, there have been no prior art attempts to solve the problems of high thermal conductivity in automobile door handles. The most pertinent prior art of which I am aware is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,633,988, to Jones; 1,668,710, to Herdman et al; 1,830,383, to Bos; 2,753,911, to Haslett; 2,997,089, to Amdur et al; and 3,343,578 to Rubin; all of which disclose protective and/or decorative covers for door knobs or automobile handles.
The primary purpose of most of these covers is to protect the door knobs or handles from greasy fingerprints, dents or other marks, or to prevent the knobs or handles from damaging walls or other surfaces with which they may come in contact when swung open. Secondary purposes of some of the covers are to provide a non-slip surface to facilitate grasping and turning a door knob with wet or slippery hands (Herdman et al), or to protect individuals touching the knobs from shocks due to static electricity (Haslett). Most of the prior art covers are made from cloth, rubber, or other materials which inherently possess some thermal insulating ability and which would therefore slightly diminish the overall thermal conductivity of an automotive door handle. However, none of the prior art covers would be ideal for this purpose since they were not designed with the specific intention of thermally insulating door handles. Furthermore, none of the prior art covers was designed to fit the standard type of handle which is found on modern automobiles. Only the Bos and Jones patents are directed towards covers which are specifically intended for use on automobile handles, and in both cases, the covers were designed to fit over the outwardly projecting, T-shaped, twist-turn type handles which were commonly found on early model automobiles. Since this type of handle was manipulated by grasping the outwardly facing portion of the handle, the covers were designed primarily to protect the outer surface of the handle, and thus would not be effective for use with today's recessed, rectangular door handles which are manipulated by grasping the underside, or inner surface, of the handle, and pivoting upwardly.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and useful insulating pad for lining the inner surface of a modern automobile door handle.